The bastard child II:The Secret of the Blood River
by DarkMuse01
Summary: Sequel! Prince Scorpius has always been protected by his parents like a precious jewel but he could never understand their worries and fears. All he ever wanted was to be able to live a life without limits and to finally cross that horrible river that separated him from the world outside the Black forest and the person he secretly loved. Warnings: MxM, Slash, AU, Non-Magical
1. Chapter 1

Hello, people! This is the first chapter of the sequel to the bastard child's storyline. I repeat this is a sequel so if you haven't read the bastard child yet, please do (I know it's really bad at the beginning but please give it a chance and you will see that it gets better after chapter 6. And don't forget that it was my first fanfic.)

For those of you, who are familiar with my stories, I want to thank you for your patience and your support.

Let's begin! (Oh and I don't own Harry Potter but I thought that was obvious…)

The bastard child II - The Secret of the Blood River

Chapter 1

"Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince, who lived in a big castle far, far away. He was kind, fair and loved by his people, who looked forward to have him as their King and for him to replace his coldhearted father. He had to grow up without a mother but that never stopped him from being a happy and energetic child, who always liked to prank the servants of the castle with his best and only friend, and even in his teen years he still remained a little prankster. Until one day, at the age of nineteen, his peaceful life changed forever…

It all started at the annual hunting trip that the King always organized for his friends and other royal families. The young prince was one of the participants of course, never missing out an opportunity to be near the Black Forest. He really liked danger and that place had lots and lots of it. You see, people avoided that forest because of the many legends about its horrible monsters and rare flowers with strong powers that could either heal a person from his wounds or send him to his death.

But those weren't the only reasons behind everyone's fear.

The main theme of all those ancient scary tales was a race that lived inside this dangerous area, a race full of great warriors and skilled assassins. The elves. And at that fateful day their princess, a beautiful girl with flaming red hair, had decided to take a walk near the borderline.

She was very busy, gathering flowers for her seriously ill father, when she was wounded in the thigh by the prince's arrow, who had mistaken her for a fox. The prince ran to her with his best friend, following him a few meters behind, but when he saw exactly what he had done, he tried to shout for help.

The princess begged him to stop and let her go because if the other humans found her and realized what she was, they might kill her or take her as their slave, which was even worse than death. The prince was mesmerized by her unique beauty and piercing green eyes, and after taking the arrow out of her leg, he asked whether or not he would see her again.

And from that moment onwards a love like no other began, a love that would result to many deaths and the birth of a bastard child…"

"I think, he is asleep now." A warm voice whispered next to Harry's ear, making him stop his long storytelling.

The young but strong King of Sytadria turned his head away from the small crib in front of him and smiled when his eyes met a pair of amused grey ones. Their owner smiled back at him playfully and after making sure that the peacefully sleeping boy had his favorite stuffed bunny next to him, he took his husband's hand and guided him outside of their son's room.

When the heavy door had closed behind them, Draco placed a sweet kiss against Harry's lips and said

"I really appreciate your efforts but don't you think that this story is a little too violent for a one year old?"

Harry hugged the blond tightly against his chest and answered

"I know but he needs to know the truth about my parents, your parents, us… I don't want to hide anything away from him."

"I know." agreed Draco "I want that too. No more secrets in our family."

"No more…" repeated Harry and kissed the shorter young man happily. The kiss would have turned into something more, if Draco hadn't moved away and said

"I have some not so pleasant news to tell you."

A serious expression entered Harry's face as he waited for Draco to continue.

"A messenger arrived from the castle with a letter for you. It was from Dora…"

"Did something go wrong with Remus's transformation this past full moon?" asked Harry, with worry. "Did he try to attack someone again?"

"No, Remus is fine…" answered Draco and after a long pause added "It's Teddy."

The brunet's blood froze at the mention of his younger brother. Because to him that's what Dora's son was, even if they weren't related by blood. When the baby had been born five months ago, everyone had expected the worst but fortunately the little guy looked like any other normal child, despite his great-grandmother's curse and his father's condition. Until now…

"What's wrong with Teddy?"

Draco took a deep breath and without breaking eye contact, said

"He changed, Harry… permanently. Dora forgot to close the curtains in his room and when the moonlight touched his skin, he became a totally different person. His eyes turned golden and wolf-ears grew on his head. He even has a tail! They don't know what to do about it. Three days have passed and he still hasn't changed back. People are spreading rumors about him, Harry. They say that he is a monster."

Harry didn't need to listen to anything more.

"Tell them to pack their things and come here. I won't accept any objections. Teddy will be safe, if they leave that town once and for all. He will be accepted in Sytadria. The elves know how to deal with magical creatures."

Draco nodded with a pleased expression on his pale face, when he heard Harry's decision. He had thought the exact same thing, after reading the letter. That poor baby needed acceptance, not the harsh words and teasing from some selfish people around him, who couldn't realize that being different doesn't make you a monster. It makes you special.

But as he tried to untangle himself from his husband's strong embrace, he discovered that the other man wasn't going to let him go.

"Not so fast, gorgeous. We have something else to talk about before you leave to send our reply." told him Harry with a smile.

"Which is?"

"What time is it?"

Draco raised a blond eyebrow in confusion and said

"You want to talk about the time right now?"

Harry's smile turned into a playful smirk and then he asked again

"What time is it, Draco?"

"It must be around midnight." was the blond's final answer but then he added "Oh my god! You left Scorpius stay up late again! Why do I always have to be the bad guy? You know that he is not allowed to…"

Whatever Draco was going to say died on his lips, when a passionate kiss was place against them. A quiet moan escaped his throat as he circled Harry's neck with his arms and kissed back without even caring about the reason behind their previous argument. Harry always had that power on him.

"Happy birthday, love." whispered Harry, when they broke apart for air. "I hope that this year together was as wonderful for you as it was for me and I want you to know that…" at this, the brunet placed a small box into Draco's hands and continued in a teasing tone "… even though your mother is my least favorite person in the whole world, I am thanking her every day for giving birth to you. I love you."

"You are such a dramatic fool." said Draco with teary eyes. "You could have just waited for my birthday party, like everyone else but nooo. You had to make this emotional."

Although Draco looked really pissed by Harry's surprise, the King knew that this reaction was an attempt to hide his true feelings, something that he had learned from his mother and tutors to never show in front of anyone. But Harry had spent enough time with him to notice the excitement inside the grey orbs and the slight trembling of his hands as he opened the green box and revealed its contents.

"I-I…" whispered the blond with wide eyes. "I can't accept this. It was your mother's…"

"And now it's yours." told him Harry as he placed the light chain around Draco's neck. The golden lily of the necklace shined in the low lighting of the room, making its two occupants see its magnificent structure and power.

"I don't need its protection anymore." continued Harry "So I am giving it to you to make sure that you will always be safe. Seamus's father will make one just like that for Scorpius."

Long fingers caressed the cold metal lovingly before they reached for the brunet's face and touched his cheeks softly.

"Now I know that I will definitely have a problem, if someone asks me what I want for my birthday." said Draco but when he saw Harry's confused stare, he added "I don't know what else to wish for…

… because I don't need anything more to be happy. I am fully satisfied with what I have right now. Is this normal or is it all just a dream?

But even if it is, I don't think that I want to stop dreaming."

_I am a line_

That night was truly out a dream. The sky was crystal clear, showing his bright stars proudly to the world below him. A cool breeze came from the east and as it moved the leaves of the dark trees at the edge of the Black forest, a low whistling sound was heard.

Everything seemed to be completely different from that fateful evening nineteen years ago, except for one little detail…

A lone woman figure with flaming red hair was standing in front of the forest's entrance, holding a small bundle in her arms. She sighed soundly, when she saw that her long journey hadn't ended yet and then gave the peacefully sleeping baby in her embrace a tired smile.

"Come on, honey. Let's go to your father."

And with that she disappeared into the darkness of the trees' shadows.

A/n: Here it is! Please tell me what you think and ignore my awful grammar. I wanted to continue this storyline because there were some things that remained unanswered and some characters that didn't get their closure. You will see what I mean in the following chapters.

Thanks for reading!

Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

The bastard child II: The Secret of the Blood River

A/n: Just to let you know, Teddy's five months old. Sorry for confusing you, I am just really terrible at math! I edited that part but I wanted to make sure that you all knew the correct age.

Chapter 2

From the moment he started to understand the world around him, Draco had realized that his birthday parties were always going to be boring. Especially the ones that his mother organized.

The people invited to these 'gatherings', as Lady Narcissa had named them, were people of great importance: Kings, Dukes, Barons, etc, etc, etc… but unfortunately most of them were twice or even three times Draco's current age. He could never find someone to talk to and play with except for Vincent and Greg, his former best friends, who were far too stupid to stay focused in reality for more than twenty seconds.

At the age of six, Draco found out that almost every name on his mother's guest list was someone, he didn't know and who probably didn't care about him at all. In fact there had been no one inside the castle's ballroom that night that had come because of him. And it was the same at his next birthday and the birthday after that with the exception of Harry of course, until Draco decided to stop caring as well.

In the end, unlike any other child in the country, Prince Draco hated any celebration that had to do with the day of his birth because it reminded of how lonely he was. Even his own father (or at least the man, he used to call father) was there out of duty and that hurt him more than anything else.

But not today…

Because today everything was going to be different. Today he was surrounded by people, who were there because they wanted to see _him_, because they really wanted to be near _him_…

Because they _loved him_… they truly loved him.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"You are smiling a lot today and I can't see what you seem to find so amusing. Should I be worried about your mental health?"

The blond chuckled at his best friend's not-surprisingly rude comment and without turning his eyes away from Harry and Scorpius's bright faces a few feet away from him, answered

"I am happy, Pansy. Very happy… Haven't you ever felt like your heart is going to explode from being so full of emotion?"

"No." was Pansy's immediate reply "No I haven't because I want to continue to live in reality and not on some fluffy little cloud, like some people I know."

The well hidden hurt in her voice made Draco remember the exact reason behind his friend's constantly awful mood. You see, it wasn't an easy thing to see everyone around you happy and all lovey-dovey, when your lover wasn't around anymore. And it was even harder, when that person had never been yours to begin with.

As Pansy had confessed to Draco two months ago, during his new family's occasional trip to the castle, she had fallen in love once, when she had been younger but unfortunately it hadn't ended as wonderfully as she had wanted.

The blond King remembered her words clearly.

"He was one of my father's personal servants and I…" She had told him that night. "… was infatuated with him. I don't know why, I don't know how it happened or when, I only know that those two years were the happiest and at the same time the most miserable years of my life. When he was in the same room with me, I thought that I was going to faint from the excitement but when he wasn't, I wanted to see him.

I wanted to be near him.

Love had turned me into a pure masochist and my condition was only going to get worse as the time passed.

Long story short, I kept following him around like an abandoned puppy and when I finally got the courage to confess my feelings for him, I got the biggest shock of my life. He told me that he felt the same way! He accepted me! So we started seeing each other in secret and for almost a year my life had been perfect. Until I found out that he had a fiancée…

The pig had hid her existence from everyone in the house for years, so that he could seduce as many women as he wanted to without any complications! And you know, what he said to me when I confronted him about it? He told me that I should have been more careful with who I trusted. He made it look like 'I' was the one to blame for our relationship and he even had the nerve to accuse me of seducing him!

I cried a lot that night. I cried until my eyes became red and swollen from the tears.

After that I never saw him again. He was dead to me…

But no matter how much I try to forget him and hate him for what he has done, a part of me still loves him!

Oh Draco, why do I love him so much? Why can't I forget him?"

At that point, Pansy had broken down in tears, screaming about how unfair love was and how she shouldn't have let herself be fooled by some pretty words and a handsome face. Draco had held her close throughout her emotional breakdown until she finally closed her eyes and slept silently with her head on his shoulder. She had promised him the next day that that was the last time, she cried for a worthless piece of garbage.

"You know what?" the blond asked, when his mind returned to the present "I am not going to let you ruin my party with your pessimist! Today you are going to have fun! I am ordering you as one of the Kings of this country."

"You? A King? Don't make me laugh, sweetie. Your husband is the King. _You_ are the Queen of this country, if you acknowledge the fact that he is the one, who is acting like a man in the bedroom." said Pansy with a smirk on her face.

Draco gave her an identical one and answered in the same sarcastic tone. "If having the most amazing orgasms of my life makes me the Queen of this wonderful place then I won't refuse the title. And it still gives me the power to order you around so…" His voice became softer as he pushed Pansy gently forward. "Go and dance just like everybody else is doing right now. Have fun, Pansy. Not for me but for yourself. Move on."

The young woman's smirk turned slowly into a sad smile and after placing a small kiss on her best friend's cheek, she joined the colorful crowd on the dance-floor with her dark green dress moving along with the wind. Harry saw that Draco was finally alone and after giving Scorpius to Hermione's welcoming arms, he walked to him with a pleased expression on his face.

"Is the birthday boy going to join his husband and son on the dance-floor or is he going to stay here all alone?"

"I am just waiting for my father." answered the grey eyed teen. "He should have been here by now."

This almost childlike behavior had become usual for Draco, whenever his father was around or was going to come to Sytadria. It was as if he was trying to gather all the love and acceptance that James had refuse to give him, when he was a kid. A love that Lucius Malfoy had always wanted to give to his only son and heir and had being denied to it as well.

"You can dance while you wait. I am sure that he won't mind…" offered Harry as he took Draco's hand and tried to drag him alone but before the blond could give in, a loud shout made everyone stop and search for the man responsible for all the noise.

"My King!" shouted the man again. "We found a woman, wandering near the borderline. She said that she knows you."

The crowd moved away to make room for the two guards, who were responsible for guarding the Blood River that day. A redhead woman was standing between them, wearing a dark brown traveling dress and holding something small in her arms. Her shiny blue eyes examined the unfamiliar faces around them until they focused on Harry's frozen form.

"Harry!" Ginny Weasley screamed to the brunet King. "It's you! It really is you! You are not dead!"

Harry's eyes widened, when he heard the girl's words. The logical part of his brain tried to think of a way to get her away from his guest fast before she could reveal their secret to Lucius's allies and destroy everything. The emotional part was looking for a way to protect Draco and Scorpius. "Take her to one of the guest rooms, now! I will deal with her alone." He ended up saying but as the guards tried to guide Ginny to the house, she said something that made Draco's heart stop.

"Don't worry, my love. I came here so that we could be reunited again. And I've got a surprise for you. This is your son, James!" Ginny raised her hands in the air, showing the little baby to her silent and motionless audience. "Now we can all live together as a family!"

_I am a line_

"This is the last time I am sharing a carriage with you. I should have left you in Dardia but _my_son insisted on having you there for his birthday."

Narcissa closed her eyes tightly, trying to block Lucius's annoying voice from reaching her brain. No success. She could still hear his long mumbling no matter how much she wanted to make it stop.

"I am his mother, Lucius. And no one, not even a King like you, can change that. I will always be important to him." she said, while making sure that her favorite fire-red dress had no wrinkles on it. The black necklace around her neck had been one of the few things that she had managed to keep from her previous life as a Lady and future Queen, and as her fingers touched its little shiny diamonds, her mind returned back to the good old days.

The days, when everything had been perfectly… fake.

"You lied to him! For seventeen years! You used him to achieve your personal goals! That's not what a mother is supposed to do to her son." told her Lucius in a serious tone.

"You don't have the right to judge my actions, _my Lord_. I was only trying to protect my child." she said calmly but when her eyes met the ones of her former lover, the words came out of her mouth louder and louder with each sentence. "If I hadn't done all those things that you accuse me of then your precious son would have been dead now! Abelardus would have killed him with his bare hands if he had found out about his true identity. Did you think that I had a choice? Did you think that I enjoyed living like this?"

Lucius, clearly not the least intimidated by her intense monologue, answered her questions without a single trace of pity in his voice. "Yes. Yes I think that you really enjoyed it. Because that's what you are, Cissy. It's in your nature. You wanted to have power, you loved the expensive dresses and the jewelry that your father- in-law used to shower you with, you… had to have it all. So you sacrificed Draco's happiness to have it, otherwise you would have come with me at his eighth birthday party."

"Draco was happy!" shouted Narcissa with anger. "He had everything that he wanted! He lived in a castle with servants all around him, waiting to satisfy his every wish and need. He was going to become a King with a bright future ahead of him, something that you couldn't give to a child back then! He Was Happy!"

"You still see what you want to see, Narcissa. I pity you but I am glad that Draco has survived all this.

I am glad that he knows how happiness feels like now…"

_I am a line_

The heavy wooden door of the royal guest room opened in a quick move, letting the five people behind it enter the large space with the single bed. But this small group was not interested in the decoration or the surprisingly yellow color on the walls.

"How did you get here, Ginny? I thought that you were going to stay with Charlie in the mountains!" Ron asked his sister as he stood in front of her with his arms crossed on his chest.

"You knew about this?" screamed Harry to his friend "When were you going to tell me?"

The tall redhead's face paled at the accusation but before he could answer, Ginny interrupted their short conversation.

"Harry… Ron was just trying to protect me and James, don't be so harsh on him. He never told me that you were still alive, I just heard some rumors about how much King Dudley looked like you from the servants in the castle and I put the pieces together on my own. Why are your eyes red, my love?"

"Don't call me that." the brunet hissed and then turned to the two guards that had found Ginny next to the river. "You are dismissed, soldiers. Good job."

The young men bowed to their leader and left the room without saying a single word, leaving the trio on their own. Harry pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and after making sure that his nerves were under control, said

"Ginny, I don't know what's gotten in your head but I want you out of here by tomorrow morning."

"No!" screamed the girl. "You can't do this! I am holding your son in my hands! I came here so that we can all be together."

"I have never slept with you and I don't intend to. This child is not mine!"

"It is!" declared Ginny. "Remember when you had stayed at our house the night before the survival challenge because you were too drunk to move from one place to another? You slept on my bed that night."

"And that's all we did! We slept! I never touched you!"

"I believe you, mate." whispered Ron with guilt. "That's why my family and I kept this hidden from you. We knew that you are not someone, who could do something like this and not take responsibility for it. No one, not even my mother, blames you for this child's existence."

Ginny fell on her knees with the baby secured in her lap, as if she was going to beg for forgiveness from a higher power but her next words looked nothing like a prayer. "He is yours, Harry. I am not lying! Just look at him! His eyes are green! His hair is black! He is your son!"

Curiosity was a terrible weakness and Harry could not resist its calling. But at the same time he raised his arms to take the baby and examine it carefully, the door opened again and a red-faced Draco stepped onto the marble floor of the guest room. His once warm grey eyes turn to icy cold, when he saw the scene before him and he spoke in a low and dangerous tone.

"My father has arrived. He wants to see you. What should I tell him?"

Ginny stood up suddenly, forcing the small infant into Harry's embrace, and said

"You should tell your daddy that Harry is with his true family now and he doesn't have the time to talk to him."

"Oh, god no…" was the young King's only reaction, when the sound of a closing door announced his husband's exit.

_I am a line_

"Don't tell that you believed her, Draco! She is obviously lying!" was the first thing Pansy told her best friend, when she found him, sitting all alone in one of Sytadria's many magnificent gardens. The blond was staring into space with an emotionless mask on his pale face and bright green leaves into his hair.

"I don't believe her, Pans. I am just scared. And it's definitely not Ginny Weasley that I am afraid of…" he whispered. "It's Harry."

"What do you mean?"

Draco turned his head slowly and looked Pansy straight in the eye. The pain in those almost silver orbs made her sit next to him and rest her hand on his shoulder encouragingly.

"What do I offer to him?" he asked.

"I still don't understand…"

"He gave me a home, a family, my title… what am I offering to this relationship? What did I do for him?"

"Besides letting him fuck you?" joked Pansy but after a moment she added "You gave him love…"

"Is that enough? Maybe… maybe I am just living on a cloud like you said."

"You deserve to live on that cloud, Draco. You earned it. Don't listen to me. I am nothing but a sad and lonely spinster. No mind- filter at all."

Draco shook his head violently, trying to free the leaves from their silver blond prisons and then started pacing around like an animal in its cage.

"No, you were right. Why didn't I see it before? I mean… Harry can pick someone much better than me. A woman, who will be able to give birth to his children, to give him the family that my parents took away from him. Scorpius could never replace a biological child and I can't replace a…"

A quick slap was delivered on his cheek, making Draco forget his theory and stare at Pansy with wide eyes.

"Why did you do that for?" he wondered aloud.

"Because you were saying the most ridiculous things, I have ever heard in my short life. And believe me I have spoken to a lot of airheads to know what I am talking about." answered Pansy before giving Draco a warm smile. "Harry loves you. You know that, don't you? He is in love with you, not Ginny, not any other woman but you. Only you. So please, for the love of God, stop being an idiot and return to your previously cheerful self. And don't forget that Scorpius is better than any biological child, Harry could ever have. He is your child."

"Draco!" came Lucius's voice from a distance. "Come my son! Your mother and I are leaving."

"Think about what I said." whispered Pansy into Draco's ear "And don't be stupid."

_I am a line_

As the day had finally come to its end and darkness fell all over the Black forest, the only light shining between the trees with the exception of Sytadria's torches was a small fire on the other side of the Blood River. Three men were sitting around the burning branches, talking to each other with a familiarity that only old friends could have. But the subject of their discussion was not something that ordinary friends talked about.

"This situation needs to change, Albus. We can't let a traitor like Malfoy rule our country, while we are exiled to our hometowns, forbidden to see each other out of fear that they might take our heads of. We need to do something."

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, the former royal advisor of King Abelardus, listened to Regulus Black's suggestions silently and with a calculating stare as if he could find the answer to their problem inside the moving flames. He understood the younger man's passion and determination of course. After all it hadn't been an easy thing for him to lose in seconds everything that he had struggled to build for years and it definitely hadn't been easy to watch Regulus's older brother stay in the castle as the guards took them away from their home, no matter how much the Black heir had tried to help them. But it wasn't Sirius that they wanted to destroy now.

"He is right, Al." the third member of the group and Albus's best friend of many years, Gellert Grindelwald said. His clear blue eyes shined predatorily in the low lighting, making his face look even more like a cat that had just gotten the canary. The few grey strands of hair on his head were only a small reminder of the once beautiful blond halo that had always made the women giggle girlishly behind the man's back.

But Gellert had never been an innocent and forgiving person, no matter how much he used to look like an angel, when he was younger. This was something that would never change.

"Lucius Malfoy doesn't deserve to sit in a throne, painted with blood." Gellert continued. "You can see it too, Albus, can't you? All we have to do is gather our forces and attack him when he doesn't expect it. We will find new allies in the countries, he hasn't reach yet. We can do this. It will take time but we won't lose our hope. We will take back what has been lost."

"You forget something, my dear friend." interrupted Albus. "His ally, the King of the Elves. He possesses a power unknown to the human race. A power that could destroy all of our efforts in one simple move."

"We could turn him against Malfoy." offered Regulus, who had taken one of his middle-length black locks between his fingers and was twisting it lazily. "We could take him on our side."

"It's not that easy." said Albus "He is married to Lucius's son and rumor has it that he is deeply in love with him. Such a bond cannot be broken."

"You have a point, Al." Gellert agreed, nodding his head to show his approval. "Maybe there is someone else with a power like the Elf King's, who can help us."

"This person might never be born!" shouted Regulus with frustration.

"He has been born."

Three heads turned at the sound of an unfamiliar female voice and the men saw two tall shadows, standing across from them on the other side of the burning flames, hidden under the hoods of their dark green cloaks.

"And who exactly are you?" asked Gellert and then stood up from the ground. His hand reached for the sword case on his belt, ready to defend himself in case of an attack.

"My Ladies, please ignore my friend's rudeness and take a seat." said Albus without even moving an inch away from his position next to the fire. "I am afraid that we can't have a civil conversation, if your faces remain hidden from us. It wouldn't be fair."

Albus's intuition proved to be right, when the two silent figures sat on the ground and took off their hoods to reveal that their guest were indeed women. And elves.

The taller of the two was a middle aged woman with short black hair and big green eyes. She had thin nose and lips and although she wasn't very pretty, Albus recognized her posture as one that the people of a royal family always had.

On the other hand, the second woman was a true beauty. She looked like a creature out of this world with hair long and golden, the same shade that Gellert's used to be, when he was younger, and dark green eyes just like the color of the freshly-cutted grass. Her lips were full and deep red in contrast to her fair skin tone. Even her fingers looked perfect as they lay motionless on her lap without a single mark on their sensitive skin. Her only flaw was a small mole under her right eye but it still didn't ruin her magnificent face.

She barely looked twenty and Albus feared that if he asked her real age, he might offend her.

"We are terribly sorry for disturbing you." The older woman spoke. "My name is Petunia Dursley and this is my daughter- in- law, Seline.

I am the fallen Queen of Sytadria and I am offering you my help and friendship in exchange for yours."

Albus was the first one to answer to their newcomer's offer. "We gladly accept your friendship, my Lady but allow me to ask: Aren't you supposed to be living by King Dudley's side? Isn't he your son?"

Loud laughter escaped Petunia's lips and after a moment of awkward silence she answered

"This freak that calls himself a King is not my child. He is my nephew, Harry Potter and he has taken my throne by force, murdering my husband, King Vernon the Great, so that he could achieve his evil goals."

"That's impossible!" shouted Regulus "Prince Harry has been dead a year now."

"That's a lie." corrected Petunia. "He is alive, using my son's name so that he can gain the Human King's trust."

"And where is your son, my Lady?" asked Gellert with suspicion.

Seline was the one, who spoke this time and Albus could have almost sworn that her voice was the most melodic sound, he had ever heard.

"My husband killed himself, when he found out that his father had died in such a cruel way. That's why we left Sytadria in search for a way to stop our King's killer."

"Is that so? Then how can you prove to us that what you say is true? Or better yet how is this going to help us ruin Malfoy? The Elf King will definitely kill us before we could even say a word about his true identity,"

"Gellert, be patient." Albus warned the eldest man. "You spoke about someone, who might be as powerful as the Elf King, My Lady. Do you know if he is willing to take part in our plans?"

Petunia smiled, when she heard Albus's question but let Seline spoke for her.

"He is only a baby now, my Lords, but if we train him in the right way, we will have the perfect weapon against our enemies.

That baby is the killer's son."

_I am a line_

Are you mad at me?"

Draco opened his eyes, when he heard Harry's quiet question and tried to explain his feelings with as much clarity as he could. The two of them were laying on their bed without saying a single word to each other, until the King of Sytadria had decided to speak.

"No… I am not mad at you. I am just thinking."

"About?"

Draco took a deep breath and answered with honesty.

"About you. About the possibility of you getting bored of me."

"That's not possible." declared Harry instantly.

"You don't know that… One day you may decide that you want to have your own biological children and leave me for a woman like Ginny."

"You could do that too." said Harry. "Who knows? Maybe you will get bored of me first and then decide that you want your own children."

"That is not going to happen." added Draco. "I can't even imagine myself without you or Scorpius."

"And what makes you think that I don't feel the same way? Draco, I love you. You and Scorpius are the most important people in my life. I could never leave you."

And with that the brunet placed a passionate kiss onto his husband's lips, trying to prove to him that his promises were real and that there was no reason for him to worry about anything. Draco moaned shamelessly into the kiss but then pushed Harry gently away from him.

"I am going to go check on Scorpius and when I'll come back, we will continue this…" he pointed to the empty space between them with a naughty smile and then continued "…with much more details."

Harry returned the smile and made room for Draco to walk past him. Unfortunately his cheerful mood didn't last long because as soon as the nursery's door had closed behind Draco, a terrible scream was heard through the walls.

"HARRY! Scorpius is not in his crib! Someone took him! Someone took our baby!"

A/n: I can't even describe how much tired I am from writing this chapter. It probably has a lot of errors in it but I hope that you enjoyed it.

Reviews!

Thank you kitty tokyo uzumaki and Lukakoolarigato for continuing to show me your support and also thanks to sjrodgers108, teatreekni and Petrichor-3 (or Petrichor-san) for your awesome reviews.

I am looking forward to see your thoughts about this chapter.

Bye!


	3. Chapter 3

The bastard child II: The Secret of the Blood River

Chapter 3

"It's empty…"

The low whisper made Remus raise his head from his work and glance at the center of the living room, where his wife was standing motionless, like the marble statues that his father used to make, when he was alive. She had been staring at the wall in front of her for almost half an hour now but Remus knew that this was only her way to say goodbye to everything that she had known until now and start fresh. The small family had already packed most of their stuff yesterday after the arrival of Harry's immediate reply to their letter. They knew that this was the only way to protect Teddy from the hate that he was going to face, if he stayed in the castle but the decision hadn't been an easy task to do. After all, this place held many memories for them.

Tonks turned her head away from the wall and gave the room around her one last glance. It was then that Remus noticed the silent tears that were running down her face.

"Everything is gone, Remus. This house is no longer my home…"

The former tutor stood up from the wooden floor and walked to her with sure steps. His arms circled her small waist as he whispered in her ear.

"I know… but at least you can always remember the good times in your mind."

"I feel like I am running away again." She whispered back "Just like I did when I was still a performer. I fear that I will never stop running…"

"Hey. This is different. _We _are your home now. Me and Teddy. No matter where we are going, we will always have each other… You are not on your own this time, Dora, and we will never let you be alone ever again. This is not running away. This is a new beginning."

Tonks glanced at the small infant that was laying on the only piece of furniture left inside the room, her favorite old sofa, where she and Remus had fell in love and shared their afternoon tea. His tiny tail had escaped the baby's blue blanket and was swaying lazily back and worth, proving that the child was asleep. A pair of fluffy brown ears, in the same tone as the tail, could be seen from a distance as they twitched at the sounds that his parents were making. That boy was going to have an excellent hearing.

"A beginning that I am forcing on my son like he is some sort of a criminal. Did we make the right choice, when we brought this child to such a cruel world, Remus, or did we destroy his life because of our own selfishness? Am I the reason behind this innocent soul's misery?"

"Teddy is not miserable!" Remus shouted "He is special and you have nothing to blame yourself for. See these ears? This tail? These are my awful genes right there! I did this! Me and my awful disease! But you know what? It could have been worse and I am glad that my son is going to live in a place, where he will be accepted for who he truly is. We will make him happy, you'll see. He is still our baby."

"He is… my little Teddy. My poor little Teddy. I promise you that no one is going to harm you. No one…

I love you both so much." She said and the tears returned to her shiny eyes.

"We love you too, mummy." was Remus's reply as he hugged his wife closer to his chest.

_I am a line_

Sytadria was in a state of alarm. Chaos had followed the wonderful celebrations of the day before, now that the young Prince was missing. After that horrible revelation the royal family had realized that the female human named Ginny Weasley was also nowhere to be found.

She and her baby had disappeared from the King's guest rooms and the guards had made her the prime suspect for Scorpius's kidnapping.

"Search the houses!" General Seamus Finnigan ordered his troops. "Don't let anyone out of the city! We need to find the Prince at any cost!"

Harry and Draco were searching as well, both in different paths than the other but still no sign of the redhead woman or their son. The blond King's anger and worry was written all over his face and his hand was trembling around his sword like the solid ground did during an earthquake. He wanted to kill her. He wanted to murder Ginny in the worst way that he could find. He wanted to torture her, to mark her skin with his blade.

He had to find her.

"Maybe she is trying to get to the castle." Harry suggested when they met in the middle of the town's largest street. "We should go to the Blood River!"

Draco nodded without even analyzing his husband's words in his head. The only thing that he could hear inside it now was a little voice telling him _"Find Scorpius, find Scorpius, __kill__ Ginny, __**Find**__**Scorpius**__…"_

Where were they? What was she going to do to his baby?

With this last thought on both of their minds the couple mounted their horses one more time and rode to the borderline. They had done this countless times in the past so it wasn't hard for them to reach the river with the red waters that looked even more dangerous than any other day. It was as if the river was preparing itself for something…

Other than that, everything else seemed to be normal and as beautiful as always. The deep green leaves shined at the bright sunlight, reminding the world around them that summer was still there even though Draco's body was cold like ice. The smell of the seasonal wild-flowers mixed with the one of the grass below them hit their nostrils in the speed of lighting and if the grey eyed teen's attention hadn't been entirely focused on his search, he might have enjoyed this small gift from nature.

Harry was doing the same thing, knowing that this was the only way to his previous home except from the bridge, which they had already checked. This part of the river looked shallower than any other place they had been before so he hoped that Ginny had been stupid enough to choose it. Because only someone with a great dose of stupidity in their veins could think that they could cross the Blood River that easily and with two small infants in their arms.

His hopes proved to be right.

"WEASLEY!" Draco screamed, when he saw the redhead woman inside the water.

As it was expected, Ginny didn't turn around at the sound of her last name but instead she continued her struggles to reach to the other side. The heavy basket on her right arm made her journey even more difficult and as she tried to adjust it on her shoulder, Harry realized that little James must be in there.

But that realization couldn't compare to the shock and horror that the two males felt, when they saw that within the same hand Ginny was holding a knife straight at Scorpius's neck.

Draco got down from his horse and ran to the edge as fast as he could in his state.

"WEASLEY!" he screamed again. "If you harm him, you are dead! If you take one more step forward, you are dead. Do you hear me? YOU ARE DEAD!"

This time Ginny turned around and stared at them with her dead blue eyes just like someone, who has lost their sanity and could never find it again. Her dress was torn up in many places, showing her ghost-like pale skin under the deep orange fabric, and as the tips of her red hair touched the water, the fear that something bad was going to happen grew a little bit more.

"You… will not…. harm me. You… cannot harm me." She said in a low and ice-cold voice. "I am the one in control now… and I can do whatever I want."

To prove her point, she dug the knife deeper into the crying baby's neck, making a few drops of blood fall on the matching colored waters. Scorpius whimpered as the pain crossed his small body and Draco's anger became uncontrollable.

He tried to run to his son but then two strong arms held him back. "Let him GO!" he shouted to the redhead. "Let him go NOW!"

"Draco…" Harry whispered next to his ear. "Don't move… She might hurt him…"

"Then save him. Use those great powers of yours and save him!" the blond said without taking his eyes away from his son's scared face.

"I can't risk it. Not while Scorp's life is in danger."

"Just do something! Anything!"

Desperation and frustration were taking over Draco's body as it trembled violently inside Harry's embrace. His knees touched the ground slowly, searching for a way to handle all the extra weight that was forced on them, when their owner realized that there was nothing that could be done now. A thin string was the only thing that was holding his sanity at that moment and Ginny Weasley had indeed all the power to cut it.

Harry, following his husband's example, sat on one of the warm black rocks behind the other boy and without moving his hands away from his shoulders, tried to figure out a way to take his son back.

So he started with words.

"Gin, You are not like this. You could never hurt anyone, remember? Not even a fly. You used to cry like a baby, when one of the horses died back in the castle. This is not you."

"Harry…" Ginny called "They are evil, my love. Both of them… They are denying us our happiness. But I will make everything right, you'll see… I will make everything… right…"

And with that she took a step forward and readjusted her heavy load one more time. Her eyes never left Harry's face, staring with an intensity that frightened and shocked the brunet at the same time. He had never seen how much the girl truly loved him before and now he was blaming himself for never having a serious conversation with her about it.

Suddenly an idea started forming inside his head and he prayed that this will end their misery.

"Yes, this is what I want too. I need you to make everything right so that we can become a family again…"

"Harry, what are you saying?" asked Draco with horror painted in his voice.

"Shhh…"

Ginny smiled brightly, when she heard those words and took another step forward.

"But…" Harry continued as he stood up and walked towards her, blocking Draco from her happy now eyes. "We can't start our life together, if your hands are painted with blood, honey. You know that that's a sin… and no one will accept a murderer as their Queen now, would they?"

A nod was Ginny's only reply at his questions so the elf King took this as his chance to say

"Just throw the little nuisance in the river and if God wants to, he will save him from death. If not then he was destined to die…"

"NO!" yelled Draco and ran past Harry to prevent such a horrible act from happening.

But the sorcerer had expected such a move from his lover and after grabbing the blond from the collar of his white shirt, he took his sword out of its case and pointed it to his neck, mirroring Ginny's pose.

"Do it now, Ginny. Throw him away and I shall cut this man's throat to prove my love for you!"

"Of course, Harry." said the redhead girl and let Scorpius fall from her strong embrace. The small child screamed at the loss of support and raised his tiny hands in the air as gravity pulled him down towards his doom.

Fortunately, he never touched the water…

"Grab him, Draco!" ordered Harry with closed eyes, trying not to break his concentration away from his difficult task. Scorpius flew carefully to his blond father's arms, who was now free from his husband's death-lock and was smiling in relief.

Everything is going to be ok, sweetheart. Daddy's got you. Don't cry. Daddy's got you." Draco whispered into his son's ear over and over again and held him closer to his chest.

Ginny Weasley, surprised by her love's betrayal, stood still for a few moments, unable to analyze this sudden new development. However as soon as her brain caught up with reality, she started running at the direction of the castle with quick and unsteady steps. But fate and something else didn't let her go very far…

The sharp rocks and the unexpected depth of the river made her trip and fall into the warm water and hit her head. And as her blood started its own traveling into the river, red mixed with red in a battle that both sides had won from the beginning. Her body stayed motionless with eyes wide open and a mouth stretched into a silent scream that would never be heard.

When the couple saw what had happened, Draco pushed Harry gently towards the girl to make sure, if she and the baby were okay. In the back of his mind the shorter boy felt pity for the young girl but he knew that he would never forgive her for this attempt to ruin his life forever. He kissed Scorpius's forehead with happy tears, running down his cheeks, repeating to himself that the horror was finally over and that his little angel was not going to leave him any time soon.

At the same time Harry had obeyed to the other's wish and walked slowly towards a floating now Ginny. He placed his hand on her pale throat and gasped, when he didn't feel her pulse.

"She's… dead." He declared with a trembling voice and then looked around him with alert.

"Where's James?"

_I am a line_

Slowly almost lovingly the Blood River carried James's basket a few meters away from the scene of his mother's accident, hiding him under some tall reeds. The five month baby was sobbing inside his tiny prison but his cries couldn't be heard because an unknown force was covering them. The same unknown force was the one that made the basket move away from its original course and reach the other side, where two dark hooded figures were waiting for it.

A pair of wonderfully-shaped hands took off the soft cover in one quick move, bringing sunlight to the child's face. They grabbed James and raised him in the air so that two deep green eyes could examine him. And when those had finished their work, their owner smiled happily and said

"Oh, he is beautiful… A perfect Prince, don't you agree, Curtis?"

The body of the former Queen of Sytadria, Petunia Dursley, fell on the ground lifeless at that moment, giving place to a very short man with a hump on his back and a scar on his lower lip. He was around his mid-thirties even though the few grey hair on the top of his head made him look like an elderly person. His light grey eyes had a little dose of green in them but they still weren't as shiny as the ones of an elf.

"Yes, my Queen. He is indeed very beautiful… but I believe that our plan was to kill his mother, when she had crossed the river." he said with a unexpected high voice.

"Plans change…" told him Seline and then placed the baby back in the basket. "I thought that seeing her die, would make our little King stop searching for his son. After all, the baby could have never survived in these dangerous waters on its own. We will let him believe that the poor child has drowned."

"Your intelligence fascinates me, my Lady. But I still don't understand, why didn't you kill our enemy now that you had the chance?"

"Because, my dear servant, although the magic in me comes from a very ancient royal family, this man over there has a gift from the Goddess herself. I don't stand a chance against him. This little guy on the other hand…" Seline pointed to a peaceful now James, who was staring at them with his big green eyes "…he might have his father's powers in his genes. He will make a great warrior once he is fully trained."

Curtis showed his approval by nodding his head a few times. He then glanced at the female body behind him and let a painful groan escape his lips.

"Your Highness, this body will be useless to me in a couple of weeks. If you don't mind me asking: Why didn't you let me take your husband's body a few weeks ago? It would have last at least a year."

After picking up the small basket and walking to her horse, Seline answered

"I don't think that a body with eight stabs on its chest would have been very useful to you and to be honest, I couldn't stand the sight of that fat pig. Besides… you might get a new body faster than you expect."

Curtis nodded again and disappeared one more time inside the empty shell that had become his disguise for almost three years now. He knew that his mistress's plans seemed strange at the beginning but they were always effective. There were plenty of examples in his mind, where he had ignored her orders and tried a new strategy of his own. Most of those times however, Seline Dursley nee Elvensblood had saved him from certain death or even torture… and he could never do enough to return the favor.

So when she ordered him to mount his horse and follow her to the summer house of the former Duke, Mr. Black, he did it. When she told him to take the baby because her hands were too tired, he did it. And when they reached the big yellow hose with the beautiful white roses and she told him to move to phase two, he did it without any complain.

"My Lords!" he shouted to the three men in the large living room. This place had been decorated from Black's late mother herself and Curtis had fallen in love with every single classic piece of furniture within these pale blue walls at first sight. Even the creepy painting of a white cat above the fireplace.

The men of the room turned around and stared at him as soon as his female body had opened the double oak doors. Seline followed him inside, after taking of the green cloak that she hated so much. She was the one, who was carrying the basket this time and as she made sure that her deep blue dress hadn't been dirtied by the mud of the forest, she smiled at the small baby inside of it.

"We have found him!" 'Petunia' continued. "Behold… the son of the traitor, the child, who is going to save us all."

Gellert stood up from the white armchair in front of the fireplace and spoke with a stoic expression on his face.

"Really? So the savior has finally arrived. Oh… joy. I don't believe a word of this, Albus. Those two are lying to us on our faces. Yesterday they tell us about raising the son of the Elf King and today they come here with the baby itself! Don't you find it a little suspicious?"

The man in question walked to Seline and glanced at James with his warm blue eyes. He smiled, when the baby tried to talk by making the cutest baby sounds, he could manage, and then said

"He sure looks a lot like Harrison."

"So what? They might have found a baby that looks like him but that doesn't mean that it's his son. Do you remember how many girls had come to me, saying that they had my children? They looked like me but none of them was mine!" shouted Gellert.

A small gesture from Albus Dumbledore was Seline's cue to leave but before she got out of the room, she sent a secret look to Curtis that went unnoticed by the other three.

"If you have second thoughts, my Lords, then you can think about it and tell us in the morning." The woman's loyal servant said when his mistress had left. "We will leave you alone as soon as you want us to."

"No need." Albus replied. "I believe you and I am sure that both of my allies will follow my example."

"Of course." agreed a previously silent Regulus.

Gellert stormed out of the living and headed to his personal bedroom without saying anything. He knew that Albus had always had better ideas than him but this time there was a strange feeling in his gut that told him otherwise.

And the surprise that was waiting for him in his room was a proof of that.

Because right there on his bed, Seline was sitting with her legs crossed and her hair loose on her shoulder. Her smile was almost breathtaking, turning the serious man in front of her into her toy in seconds, despite the fact that he would have denied it, if someone asked him. A full wine glass with many small details on it was in her hand and she spanned it lazily between her fingers, making its contents dance with each movement.

"Do you want some wine, my Lord?" she whispered seductively.

After grabbing the glass from the woman's grip and taking a small sip of the strong liquid, Gellert let the alcohol burn his throat and glared at her, saying

"If this is your way to make me come on your side then a little wine will not help you on your quest."

Seline's smile grew into a full smirk at those words. She stood up from the bed and in a slow and careful move let her dress fall on the red carpet on floor.

"Is this a little better?"

"Yes… much _much_ better."

Three steps at the naked woman's direction were all that it took to make Gellert drop dead on the floor next to Seline's beautiful dress. After a few seconds she picked it up and put it on again as if the motionless body next to her didn't exist. As if the person that had died, had never existed.

Then she opened the door and let Curtis come in.

"Is it done, my Queen?" the man, still in his 'costume', asked.

"Yes… do your thing as quickly and as quietly as you can. I've got a baby to put to sleep."

And with that Seline took James out of his hiding place and walked to the window, singing in a low voice a lullaby that she had been planning for days to sing to her new song. Behind her Curtis open his mouth wide open, sucking the remains of Gellert's soul by making a little whistling sound. Seline's lyrics were the only thing that was covering the annoying whistle.

(_A/n: This song is not mine, I just changed the lyrics so that it could fit my story line. Go to YouTube and search for __**Morgana's lullaby lyrics. **__The thumbnail picture is a woman in a black hood with some letters over it. You don't have to do it or like it but I suggest that you do because it will give the story a darker tone.)_

"Hush, child

The darkness will rise from the deep

And… carry you down into sleep

Child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And… carry you down into sleep

Guileless son,

I'll shape your belief

And you'll always know that your brother's a thief

And you won't understand the cause of your grief

But you'll always follow the voices beneath"

"Loyalty loyalty loyalty loyalty

Loyalty loyalty loyalty only to me" echoed around the room from every possible direction.

"Guileless son,

Your spirit will hate him

The flower who married your father the traitor

And you will expose his puppeteer behavior

For you are the proof of how he betrayed his loyalty"

"Loyalty loyalty loyalty loyalty

Loyalty loyalty loyalty only to me"

"Hush, child

Darkness will rise from the deep

And… carry you down into sleep

Child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And… carry you down into sleep

Guileless son,

Each day you grow older

Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold

For not the child of my body but the flesh of my soul

Might die in returning the birthright he stole

"Loyalty loyalty loyalty loyalty

Loyalty loyalty loyalty only to me"

"Hush, child

The darkness will rise from the deep

And… carry you down into sleep

Child, the darkness will rise from the deep

And… carry you down into sleep"

The baby finally closed his eyes and breathing softly against Seline's chest, fell asleep.

"What name did his mother give to him?" she asked quietly.

"James…" spoke a deep male voice from the shadows, where the sunlight from the window couldn't reach.

"Perfect… how are you feeling?"

Curtis took his first steps as Gellert Grindelwald, glancing around him with his new sharp eyes and groaning in pain.

"Awful… this man's memories are too perverted for my liking. There is even some about you. It disgusts me."

"Don't be such a cry-baby. You can handle these things. You always did. Now…"

Seline turned to the sleeping baby in her arms and said

"Sleep James, bastard child of the King of Sytadria. Sleep and I will protect you like your mother never will.

I will be your mother."

A/n: Hi, guys! Again the song is not mine. I just used it to add some music on my story. I usually don't write song!fics but I really like this song (I love music in general.) and I thought that it could fit in my storyline if I changed the lyrics a little. Tell me if I made the right choice… Anyway hope you liked this chapter and please review to let me know your opinions.

Rose Haven: Good guess! It was indeed Ginny but you already found this out on the previous chapter, didn't you? I am really glad that you liked the bastard child series (Oh my god! I just realized that I am writing my first and hopefully not my last series! Amazing!). I wrote this sequel to fill the gaps that the first part left behind, just like the meeting of Harry's parents that you have noticed in your review, so please continue to read and let me know what you think.

kitty tokyo uzumaki: If they could catch a break this story would have never happened. Thank you for reading!

Guest: Thank you for your review.

Teatreekni: cliffhangers are what make this story interesting and to tell you the truth, I don't know if James is Harry's son either… yet. I just keep changing my mind all the time. We will see in the future.

Bye!


	4. Chapter 4

`The bastard child: The Secret of the Blood River

Chapter 4

_Five years later_

"Mummy! Mummy look! I'm flying!"

Seline watched with a sincere smile on her face as Curtis threw James in the air one more time, his deep laughter answering the small child's loud giggles, turning their usual and sometimes even boring picnic into a fun and exciting adventure. Gellert's body had given him the strength and stamina that he had craved for while he was 'trapped' in the female one of Petunia Dursley all those years ago. It was refreshing to see him that happy and eager to do everything that he was asked after being so moody because he had to wear a dress every day. Or maybe his change was a result of James's arrival in his life…

It was true. That child had changed them both not completely but significantly. Seline caught herself, thinking of a future with James right next to her, watching him grow into a man (a King), helping him talk to his first crush, being there when he would decide to start his own family…

…taking care of him until her eyes closed for the last time and she surrendered herself to the darkness of death.

She didn't want to take Sytadria for herself anymore. She wanted to give the city to him, to help him rise to a throne that he deserved by birth.

Making him happy was her first priority without forgetting her original goal of course. Her plan had already started and she couldn't stop it now.

Neither did she want to…

"It's a real pity that Queen Petunia isn't here to see her savior grow…" said a voice from behind her and Seline turned around to see Albus Dumbledore, staring at her from his spot next to a tree. She stood up from the soft grass and walked to him without caring about dirtying her simple yellow dress. Her hair had grown a lot these past five years and she had them tied up loosely upon her right shoulder.

"She always had a weak heart." she explained again to him. "The excitement from finding James was too much for her."

"Yes… but it's still a pity. I mean look at Gellert. He has become a totally different person since James came into his life. He is so… happy."

Seline didn't know if this man was playing with her or if he actually trusted her with his deepest thoughts. It was hard to tell, when a person like Albus, who was always wearing the same calm mask on his face, was talking to you. Either way, the man had never showed any signs of hostility against her and she was going to use his help for as long as he offered it. Maybe for as long as he lived…

Later that afternoon when they returned to Mr. Black's house, Curtis came into her room that she was sharing with James and told her in a low voice so that the little boy, who was playing with his toys on his favorite blue carpet, wouldn't hear them.

"My Lady… I gave the money to the messenger, just like you told me and he gave me this." he took a small envelope out of his pocket and gave it to her as fast as he could. "Looks like our dear Lord Black has written some very interesting things to his brother."

Seline tore the envelope apart and started to read the small but still elegant letters with which Regulus Black was writing to his brother:

_My dear brother Sirius,_

_How is your health? I hope that your injury has already been healed by the castle's nurse. You know how much I respect that woman._

_I was really glad to hear in your last letter that your life-partner had been there for you, when I wasn't. I always told you that you were getting too old to climb trees. You are not a teenager anymore so please stop acting like one._

_As for me, well I think that I am getting too tired of my life._

_This place, Sirius, it's not like it used to be when we were kids. It has become something close to a prison for me. I hate, that I can't return home whenever I want. _

_And that woman… It's like she is the one, who keeps us trapped. In the beginning, I thought that she had come to help us but as the years pass I become more afraid of never seeing the castle again. I know that I have never told you many details about her but I think that now is the time._

_Can you come here, brother? Come and meet me by our old tree house? I will be waiting for you every afternoon until your leg allows you to come._

_Please trust me, I think that you need to know about this._

_I will be waiting…_

_Regulus_

"It's too bad…" whispered Seline after reading the letter "It seems that Mr. Black has chosen to betray us. Now we can't let this happen, can we?"

"Of course not, my Queen." agreed Curtis with a nod.

"Well then, how about you pay him a little visit at this… tree house that he loves so much?"

_I am a line_

This was terrible, really terrible. It was as if not a single day could pass without something bad or scary happened.

"Scorpius! Get down from there, you little monkey! You are going to hurt yourself!"

The six year old boy ignored his Papa's warnings and climbed a little bit higher up his favorite oak tree next to their house, stepping on the branches that he thought were the strongest. Draco's heart was beating fast inside his chest and the blond Kind could almost feel it climbing up his throat. What had he done wrong? How did his quiet and cute son turn into such a wild and restless little beast? An adorable beast of course (no one could deny that the boy could achieve anything if he used his puppy eyes that he must have learned from Harry) but still… that child was a magnet of danger.

"Scorpius, this is not a game! Please come down!" he shouted to Scorpius one more time, ready to catch him if something happened.

"If you don't listen to your Papa right now, young man, then I will never let you into the training field again! And you know what that means… no powers for you, mister! You will never learn that cool trick that I taught your father last week!"

Draco had never been this glad to see Seamus before. The young man was one of the few people that Scorpius respected and listened to and as soon as he heard his warning, the blond boy with the big green eyes started climbing down the tree, screaming: "No, no! Don't do that, Uncle Seamus! I am coming down! I am coming down!"

"I thought that Scorpius's gift had nothing to do with training. If he has the powers within him then they will appear anyway, won't they?" whispered Draco to the taller elf.

"That's true but don't tell him that." was Seamus's reply before he walked to the base of the tree and took Scorpius in his arms. "You scared us, buddy. This thing is far too tall for you to climb onto."

"But… I could see everything from up there! It was amazing! You looked so small, Papa! Like an ant!" Scorpius said with excitement, turning his head to Draco. "I even found this flower! Look! It's yellow like Papa's clothes! It's even pretty like Papa!"

Draco reached for the tiny blossom and touched it softly with his fingertips. Then he realized that this wasn't just one flower but many of them together, creating a small ribbon of petals and stems. It was indeed very beautiful. He smiled at his son and placed a kiss onto his pale forehead. No matter how much this child's little 'adventures' scared him, he knew that Scorpius was and always would be a sweet and caring person, who loved him very much.

"Thank you for the compliment, sweetheart. Now go, daddy is waiting for you. You don't want to lose one of those valuable training sessions now, do you?" he said and smiled secretly at Seamus.

"No!" cried the boy "Come on Uncle Seamus! Let's go! Bye Papa!"

And just like that Scorpius jumped down from Seamus's embrace and started running in a speed that only children could manage, to the training field. The two men shared an amused look and then Seamus followed the small child, waving goodbye at the blond behind him.

He didn't have to walk very far. The training field was pretty close to the King's home after all. It was a wonderful empty space full of grass and small rocks, where the small blue butterflies only found inside the Black Forest, lived. This exact place wasn't meant for any kind of soldiers. This was a privilege only for the loyal family and as if to prove that point, the King himself was standing in the middle of it.

"Scorpius!" Harry shouted to his son and spanned him around, when the boy ran to him. Scorpius's happy laughter echoed around the field, making Seamus smile at their strong bond. Those two may look completely different from each other, if you looked at them once but after a closer examination you could see the same fire burning inside their eyes. Scorpius was going to be an excellent King…

"Come on, guys! Enough talking, more training! Harry, place your sword on this rock." Seamus said and then took Scorpius hand and moved him in a safe distance from his father. No need to risk the kid's health, if something went wrong or even if Harry lost his concentration.

Seamus had seen many incidents like that happen, when he was around Scorpius's age. His family was one of the ancients in the whole city and they had always been involved with the act of war and everything that had to do with self-defense. His mother in particular had been the best trainer that the race of the elves had ever known. She had trained only the best of the best and some of them had even had small traces of magic in them. That's how Seamus had learned how to deal with magic and how to control it even though he himself would never receive a power like this.

But that never bothered him.

His father on the other hand, was a blacksmith, a man who had taught him everything that he needed to know about weapons and ammo. He was the inventor of many special artifacts, like the golden lily around Draco's neck that had been a birthday gift for Princess Lily's eighteenth birthday. Unfortunately such a special thing couldn't be replaced or remade. Harry had been devastated to hear that because he wanted one for his son.

The sword that the brunet King placed on the cold surface of the rock was also one of his father's creations and as its wonderful metal shined in the bright sunlight, Seamus felt even prouder of his lineage.

"Alright! Now close your eyes and imagine the sword rising in the air." He told Harry and then turned to Scorpius and said "What story do you want to hear for today's lesson, little buddy?"

"I want to hear the story of the powers!" declared the boy.

"But I have told you this story many times. Don't you want to hear something else?" he asked after making sure that Harry was doing his exercise well. The sword was moving slowly in the air without even the smallest tremble. It was perfect.

"No! I want that one!" shouted Scorpius again.

"Alright! Well… how does it start? Oh yes! Many _many_ years ago in this city that we love so much, lived a beautiful Queen named Lareina. She had long golden hair and eyes green like the summer leaves on the top of the trees. No one had seen such power before, so much magic and strength gathered up together in one person. But alas these traits had their price and it was a price that brought many problems to the Kingdom.

Queen Lareina couldn't bear children…

She had tried to of course, many times with different husbands but nothing changed. Her two sisters were pressuring her to make their children her heirs so that the throne of Sytadria would remain in the family. They both had a little magic within them, however none of them had a son or a daughter with the family's powers to offer to her and the choice was very difficult for Lareina. Until one night the daughter of her eldest sister, Celeste, came to her with terrible news.

She was pregnant with the child of a human and if someone found out, they would send her to exile.

Now Scorpius, you have to understand that those were difficult times for a single mother, especially if her child was half human. They didn't kill the baby like they used to do during your father's birth but an elf woman on her own, outside Sytadria, had no hope to survive. And for a girl like Celeste, who had grown up like a princess without learning how to protect herself, the odds weren't in her favor.

So Lareina decided to help her niece under one condition: The baby stayed with her, regardless of its gender. The months passed and the time for the birth of Lareina's heir was coming closer and closer. The excitement of its arrival, made the Queen think about ways to pass her gift to him or her. She wanted that baby to have everything that she had and to be able to keep them after her death. In the end she managed to create the perfect spell to solve her problem.

When the baby was born, Lareina sent Celeste back to her mother and stared at her new son for hours, not letting anyone else touch him. Then as the sun started to set, carrying the night on his back, she whispered the spell with tears of joy running down her face.

'I give you my heart,

I give you my soul,

I give you my powers,

To have as your own.

I turn you to fire,

I turn you to stone,

So that you can carry,

The burden I hold.

A gift like no other,

A gift for the bold,

That's what I offer,

To my brave little son.'

And then she placed her hand on the baby's forehead and continued

'May Mother Goddess follow you whenever you go. Protect you from harm, protect you from cold.

The same to your heirs, who deeply I'll love.'

(A/n: please forgive me for this awful… poem? I don't even know if this counts as a poem.)

The little boy's eyes turned red as she finished her sentence and that color stayed there for as long as King Derrick, the first King-Sorcerer, lived. Some people say that the mother goddess that Lareina refers to at the end of her spell is herself because the powers made her believe that she was, in some way, a goddess. Others say that Lareina believed in an ancient religion, known only for the ones, who joined it. But the members of the royal family said that Mother Nature was the goddess that their ancestor was talking about. Whatever it was, this gift stayed within the blood of King Derrick's family and many of his children and grandchildren had magic within them. The years passed and many Kings and Queens rose to the throne. Some had powers and some didn't.

More years passed and the gift started to become a rare incident inside the royal family's home. Fewer children showed such traits and most of them had the ability to use their powers after their seventeenth birthday.

Your father is one of those children and many people think that it was his human blood that awakened the Goddess's spell.

Your mother was his second cousin on his mother's side and that's why, there is a high chance for you to receive powers like his.

There. Are you satisfied now?"

Scorpius was going to answer but then a happy voice called his name.

"Scorpius!"

The three people in the training field turned around and saw a very special boy, running towards them. And that boy was special, not in a way that every person in the world was special. He was special because instead of the normal pair of human ears, he had two wolf-like brown ones and a tail that was moving along with him.

Teddy Lupin, despite his threatening for some people golden eyes, was a very happy and innocent child. He and Scorpius had become best friends throughout the years and Harry had told Seamus once that he feared that his son was going to turn poor Teddy into a little rule-breaker. But Seamus didn't share those ideas. He could see that a person like Teddy knew his limits and analyzed his options before doing something.

The Lupins had a very wise son.

"Dad, can I go play with Teddy?" asked Scorpius, using his pleading green eyes that he knew, no one could resist to.

Harry sighed and then nodded, making the sword fall back to the ground, but not without saying "If you get in trouble, then you will be the one, who will have to deal with Papa Draco, okay?"

Scorpius smiled and ran to his friend in a way that reminded Harry of himself, when he was younger and lived back at the castle.

"He has you wrapped around his little finger." noted Seamus, with a grin.

"Yea…" replied Harry "But I love him for it."

_I am a line_

"Mummy… why do people die?"

The question caught Seline off guard. She was just going to put James in bed and then go to sleep like every normal person would in such a late hour but apparently her son had other plans.

"Why do you want to learn such a thing, little one?"

James looked like he wanted to take back his question and stared at the moonless sky from the window close to his small bed. The window was placed in the perfect spot so that someone could see the edge of the Black Forest a few feet further from the house. And tonight that forest seemed more dangerous without the moonlight showering his trees with its warm light. After a few moments of thinking James closed his eyes and whispered

"I want to know why Uncle Gellert died today."

Seline sat on the chair next to the boy's bed, the one that she only used during her bedtime stories, and said

"You should have asked why people live first."

"Okay… Then why do people live?"

"Well…" began the blond woman "Everyone has their own opinion about that. Some believe that we have come to this world for a reason, to fulfill a greater cause. Others say that we are nothing but a happy coincidence, either made by the Gods or from the universe itself. I believe in the Goddess."

"The Goddess?" wondered James aloud.

"Yes, the Goddess. She is Mother Nature, the one, who created us all from the best materials in her world. She is the one, who gives us our life and then takes it back so that her other creations could be fed from our bodies."

James made a disgusted face and shouted "Ewww!"

"That's how the Goddess works, James. She loves all of us, that's why she gave a part of her powers to my ancestor many years ago, but we can't live all forever… Now there are two reasons for someone to die. Either Mother Nature decided to take them back or another person decided to harm them. That's called murder."

"Then… did my mother died because of the Goddess? And will you or Curtis die too?"

"Your mother died because your father is evil, my child. She was murdered. As for me… I am not going to lie to you, Curtis and I will die one day. But I promise you, we will both have stayed with you for many years before that happens. And remember, never talk to anyone else about Curtis."

That answer seemed to please James and the brunet dived under his blue covers and closed his eyes after muttering "Goodnight."

Seline placed a kiss on his forehead, whispering her own goodnight and stood up ready to start preparing for sleep. But before she could even touch her nightgown, a small voice came from behind.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, little one?" she asked without taking her focus away from her work.

"Can you promise me that Uncle Albus will also die because of Mother Nature? I really like him and I don't want him to get 'Murder'."

The clothes fell from Seline's hands at the sound of that question. In the deepest part of her brain, she wondered whenever or not James understood more things that he should have. Another part of her, however, was really proud of her son's instincts and intelligence. Those thoughts made her decide to answer James with as much honesty as she could.

"I can't control this, love. Sometimes people want to hurt each other."

"Promise anyway?" James said in a pleading voice.

A sigh and a quiet almost breathless _'I promise'_ was Seline's final words before she wore her light green nightgown and fell on the bed drained from the difficult day that had been hard on her. Curtis had told her that the execution of Lord Regulus Black had gone well and that his body was a much better choice than Gellert's, which had already reached its limit. He even said that this body could last up to fifteen years! It was the youngest 'costume' that her servant had ever worn and he was very glad that it was in a good physical shape. So after that they staged Gellert's death as an accident, Curtis took his new role as Regulus Black, declaring that even the late man's memories were exciting.

She just hoped that everything would turn out just fine.

A/n: Okay, I am done with this chapter. I hope you liked it so please live a review to show me how much!

Reviews!

kitty tokyo uzumaki: Thank you for reviewing one more time! But don't feel bad for them, they are a strong family.

Teatreekni: I always have something planned but don't worry, even if James is Harry's son, Harry never cheated on Draco. From Ginny's story you could see that they slept? together before Harry and Draco began their relationship. That's technically not cheating.

Rose Haven: Seline believes that James is Harry's if that is true or not will be revealed (or maybe not) in the future. Honestly, I don't even know yet so we will both find out as the story continues. And thank you very much for calling my story awesome! I am really glad that you liked it!

Bye, guys! And thank you for reading!


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